I was about 13 when we brought Ruby home. My sister and I had wheedled and pled, promised and pledged; We said things like, ‘Nothing for either of us for the next three Christmases!’ ‘Walks every day, we swear!’ and ‘Food every night, we promise! We’ll never ask for anything ever again!’
Today at about 9am I drove with my parents to a small veterinary clinic off of Palm and Herdon to have Ruby’s vet of 13 years give her one last injection and say things like ‘Today’s the day, huh?,’ and, ‘Let us know when you’re ready to take her body home.’
My dad and I dug her grave together through the unyielding valley hardpan, mixing our sweat with tears to soften the ground as we chipped away and said things like, ‘She was a good dog,’ ‘Remember the way she used to eat horse crap?’ and ‘Is digging a grave supposed to be this hard?!’
I carried my dog of 13 years from the back of the car to her grave, held her frail body covered in matted fur to my chest one last time, and placed her on her favorite blanket facing Northwest. Towards
Goodbye, Ruby Tuesday. We’re surely gonna miss you.
6 comments:
I'm so sorry to hear about Ruby, Micah. She was a beautiful dog and I bet she appreciated you being there today.
-M.
Thank you, Mish. I am very glad that I was able to be there.
Micah, it is good that you were able to care for her so tenderly. What a great gift she was. The pain will pass, but not completely.
--Doug
Micah, I'm so sorry. It sounds to me that you two were faithful friends. . .I am glad you were there with her.
Wow, that was unexpected. She had a good run and her life was filled with every ecosystem a dog could hope for.
We buried lots of pets in the dirt lot to the east of my parents house.
It was always very sad - I'm sorry for y'all.
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